Apple posts big updates for its enterprise and education iOS tools

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TechCrunch is reporting tonight that Apple has posted major updates for its large-scale deployment tools for education and enterprise customers. The move underscores the company’s efforts to make large-scale iOS device deployments more appealing to organizations.

The updates affect Apple’s Device Enrollment Program, Volume Purchase Program and Apple ID Student services. And one of the more significant changes is that IT administrators will no longer have to physically plug individual devices into a computer to get them set up…

Additionally, profiles can now be locked to specific devices, preventing employees or—more importantly—students from removing restrictions by revoking the IT department’s profile. This has been a major problem for school districts who distribute iPads to their students.

TechCrunch’s Matthew Panzarino has more on the changes:

“I’ve had conversations with IT pros and people who roll out large iPad installs in the past and they’ve mentioned that one of the things that has continued to cause Windows devices to hold some appeal is their better remote installation and configuration support. To that end, Apple has made some updates to improve that situation.

Both the enterprise and education programs now have support for Mobile Device Management hands free configuration. This ‘zero touch’ setup has been a long-requested feature for many pros, as it eliminates the need to cable up every deployed device and install a profile via Apple’s Configurator utility.”

Apple has been pushing further and further into the education space over the past few years. In 2013, it inked a deal with the Los Angeles Unified School District for some $30 million worth of iPads, and it’s believed that Tim Cook is working on a $4 billion deal with Turkey.

The company has also been moving deeper into enterprise, capitalizing on the onslaught of clients abandoning BlackBerry. It has a habit of touting these and education numbers on conference calls, and today’s changes should ensure it continues to see success in those areas.

You can read more about the changes over on Apple’s IT Deployment portal.